Welcome to RepricerExpress’ weekly round-up of the top five stories from the world of Amazon and ecommerce.
Amazon robot sets off bear repellent, putting 24 workers in hospital: Jasper Jolly at The Guardian reports that Twenty-four employees at an Amazon warehouse in New Jersey were taken to hospital after a robot accidentally punctured a can of bear repellent. The 255g can containing concentrated capsaicin, a compound in chilli peppers, was punctured by an automated machine after it fell off a shelf, according to local media. The incident happened on Wednesday at a warehouse in Robbinsville, New Jersey, on the outskirts of Trenton. Continue reading…
Amazon Prime customers bought 2 billion items on one-day delivery in 2018: Steven Musil at CNET reports that Amazon Prime subscribers, who pay $119, £79 or AU$59 annually for perks such as free shipping and access to music, movies and TV shows, purchased more than 2 billion items on the site with one-day or faster delivery, the internet retailer said Sunday. And the most popular item on the speedy Amazon Prime Now service was bananas. Continue reading…
Amazon ‘testing cashierless technology for bigger stores’: Amazon is testing its cashierless checkout technology for bigger stores with larger spaces and experimenting the technology in Seattle. The technology functions well in a small store format but is harder to use in bigger spaces with higher ceilings and more production, the report added, citing a source. Amazon is reportedly considering using the technology in its Whole Foods stores, the supermarket chain it bought last year. Continue reading…
Amazon’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ series may be getting secret help from Peter Jackson: Andy Meek at BGR reports that it’s widely known at this point that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos gave a directive to the team leading the development and commissioning of the company’s TV productions to focus on projects that have the potential to become a cultural force — a blockbuster in the vein of something like HBO’s Game of Thrones. Our vote for the Amazon production that might come closest to fitting that bill is the Lord of the Rings adaptation it’s reportedly spending a billion dollars on. There’s been speculation that Amazon would love to have input from Peter Jackson. Continue reading…
And finally…
Almost half of millennials say they’d rather give up sex than quit Amazon for a year: Kate Taylor at Business Insider reports that 44% of millennials said they would rather give up sex than quit Amazon for a year, according to a new survey from Max Borges Agency. And, 77% of those surveyed would choose Amazon over alcohol for a year. Max Borges Agency polled 1,108 people from the ages of 18 to 34 who had bought consumer-tech products on Amazon in the last year. Millennials prioritising Amazon over sex and alcohol is just one sign of the ecommerce giant’s dominance. Continue reading…
Quote of the week:
“Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.”
Bill Bradley
Have a great weekend!
